Chongqing to Build World's Most Luxurious Inland Cruisers

The Chongqing Traffic and Tourism Investment Group in southwest China revealed on Sunday that it will spend two billion yuan (USD292.99 million) to build ten super inland cruise ships.

The company has start building the first ship of the fleet that is twice as expensive as the most luxury cruise ships currently voyaging on the Yangtze River.

Gong Li, a manager of the Group, told the local Chongqing Evening News that the Yangtze River with abounding tourist resources should become the most luxurious inland tourist line and the ships will be the largest and most luxurious inland cruise ships in the world.

A report of the Chongqing Evening News said the first ship to come into use in May, 2011. It is 136 meters long, 19.6 meters wide, with six floors and a gross tonnage of 1,5000 tons, the biggest among the world's inland cruise ships.

The ship, to be built as a five-star hotel, will also have two presidential suites each with over 230 square meters. Meanwhile, advanced technologies of noise reduction and shock absorption will be applied in its structure.

Gong also said that besides the previous Three Gorges cruise tour, a new line from Chongqing to Shanghai will be opened after the luxury cruise ships' operation.